CHINESE ACTRESSES: ONE UP, ONE DOWN, ONE UNKNOWN

Cherie Chung is this week's winner as far as Chinese actresses are concerned. The adorable star of PEKING OPERA BLUES has been retired since 1991, but she's back as the host of SUPER HOUSEWIVES, a South Korean/Chinese co-production that'll shoot in four cities in China for broadcast next year. It's a talk show, cooking show mutant hybrid and the producers say they chose Chung for "her extensive cooking experience gained since her marriage." Chung chose the producers because they're paying her US$10,000 per episode, the highest TV salary ever paid in China.

KUNG FU HUSTLE actress Huang Shengyi is definitely wishing she was Cherie Chung right about now. She's been caught in a dispute of (mostly) her own making with Star Overseas, Stephen Chow's production and management company, for several months now and Star has just announced the cast of KUNG FU HUSTLE 2: Yuen Wah, Stephen Chow, Yuen Chau, Hsiao Leung and Lam Tze-chung...but no Huang Shengyi. She's been replaced by Liu Jiajie, who auditioned for SHAOLIN SOCCER back in 2001 but didn't get cast. Huang's sincerely confused boyfried, Miao Sen, says, "Huang left Star Overseas long ago. She does not want to play a role in the sequel at all. Star Overseas is obviously using Huang to promote the movie!" Yes, Miao, that's exactly what Stephen Chow is doing. He's riding the coattails of your girlfriend who appeared in his last movie for exactly 10 minutes and never said a word.

I'm honestly confused about whether Gong Li is up or down with this one: but here's a link to some photos of her on the set of MIAMI VICE with Colin Farrel and Jamie Foxx. Is that a frosty mojito she's drinking in that picture? Hope so, she's going to need plenty of them to get through this shoot.